Rove’s Trio of Transfer Bonuses: Up to 50% More Miles to JAL, Air France/KLM & Qatar

Rove burst onto the scene nearly 18 months ago and while it still might not be a household name, it's getting there … and big transfer bonuses like these are a major reason why. 

• Japan Airlines Mileage Bank: Get a 50% bonus on transfers to Japan Airlines (JAL) Mileage Bank through Oct. 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
• Air France/KLM Flying Blue: Get a 40% bonus when transferring to Flying Blue through Oct. 31 at 11:59 p.m. UTC +1.
• Qatar Airways Privilege Club: Get up to a 35% bonus when transferring to Qatar Airways through Oct. 31 at 11:59 p.m. GMT+3. This is a tiered offer that scales up the more miles you transfer – full details below.

Don't ask me about the different end times for all these offers, because I'm not capable of doing that math. But so long as you transfer before 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Oct. 31, you should be safe (I think). 

While all three of these transfer bonuses are worth considering, the 50% bonus to JAL Mileage Bank really stands out here … and not just because it's the biggest of the bunch. Since joining forces with a handful of U.S. points programs in the past year and change – first with Bilt, then Capital One, Rove, and most recently, Citi – we've unearthed sweet spot after sweet spot using JAL miles.

I'm talking about roundtrip business class flights to Europe, South America, and Tahiti, for just 85,000 miles roundtrip on partner airlines like American, British Airways, LATAM, and Air France. Or one-way Japan Airlines business class flights to Tokyo for as low as 55,000 miles. Even with shorter international routes down to Mexico or the Caribbean and domestic hops here in the U.S., you can often save big by using JAL miles. All made cheaper with this big 50% transfer bonus … 

Meanwhile, there's still value to be had with Flying Blue, despite the program's recent changes – and Qatar's Privilege Club remains the single best way to book the airline's vaunted Qsuites business class to Doha (DOH) and beyond.

Even if you've got a small stash of Rove miles, there's value to be had with these big transfer bonuses. Keep reading to see how we'd put them to use! 

A Quick Primer on Rove

Think of Rove as a kind of hybrid between an online travel agency and a shopping portal.

Travelers can earn Rove miles by booking flights and hotels through its platform – including “Loyalty Eligible” hotel bookings that still earn points and elite credit with major chains – or by clicking through its shopping portal (and browser extension) at more than 13,000 retailers.

You can then turn around and redeem those miles directly for travel through Rove or transfer them to partner loyalty programs. With the most recent addition of Air Canada Aeroplan, Rove now has 18 transfer partners – all at a 1:1 ratio.

The big problem with Rove for anyone just getting started is earning enough miles (quickly) to actually use these transfer bonuses.

If you're booking travel through Rove, you can generally expect your miles to post after you complete your flight or check out of a hotel (the wait is longer for “loyalty eligible” hotel bookings). However, if you book a non-refundable hotel rate – and I'm by no means encouraging this just for the sake of earning miles – you'll most often receive at least some of your miles immediately. 

Miles earned through Rove's shopping portal generally take 30 to 100 days to post. 

All that said, this transfer bonus is just the latest reason to put Rove on your radar and get started earning miles for the future.

New to Rove? Get 500 miles instantly when you sign up for a free account! 

Get 50% More Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Miles

These days, everyone wants to go to Japan … and for good reason. It's clean, safe, modern (yet steeped in culture), and don't even get me started on the food.

Flying Japan Airlines from one of the carrier's nine North American gateways to Tokyo Haneda (HND) or Narita (NRT) – or even Osaka (KIX) – is a great way to cross the Pacific, no matter if you're flying in economy or business class. Thanks to JAL's reasonable award chart, a one-way ticket to Japan will cost as few as 27,000 miles in economy, 40,000 miles in premium economy, or 55,000 miles in business class. 

Take this flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) for example. You can book a Japan Airlines business class seat on the nearly 13-hour flight to Japan for just 55,000 miles – just 36,700 Rove miles with the current transfer bonus – and $353 in taxes and fees.

Unlike most programs, Rove lets you fine-tune your transfers (beyond the 2,000-mile minimum), so you don't have to worry about stranding a few hundred miles when you go to redeem. 

Or how about roundtrip business class flights to Europe for just 85,000 miles? With the current 50% transfer bonus, you'd only need to transfer 56,700 Rove miles to JAL to book these flights with American Airlines! That's a steal …

Like many airline mileage programs, JAL uses a distance-based award chart for partner award redemptions: The longer your flight, the more miles it will cost. But unlike virtually every other airline, it doesn't tally each segment separately: It adds the distances together to determine the final price. 

The possibilities are practically endless with this roundtrip sweet spot – in part, because Japan Airlines has a wonky worldwide network of partner airlines. Of course, there are fellow Oneworld carriers such as American, Alaska, and British Airways. But you can also book Air France, Emirates, JetBlue, and others using JAL miles. 

OK, one more … and this might just be my favorite example of all. You can book nonstop flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tahiti (PPT) in lie-flat business class for 85,000 miles roundtrip and just $67 in taxes and fees.

If you're waiting for the catch, here it is: You have to call Japan Airlines Mileage Bank to book these Air France flights. But I'd argue getting half off what you'd pay to fly this itinerary with other airlines is well worth picking up the phone. 

Read more: JAL Mileage Bank is a Goldmine for Roundtrip Partner Awards

Get 40% More Flying Blue Miles

With low rates and fairly solid availability to book these flights with your miles, Flying Blue miles were among the best ways to book business class to Europe for years. 

Things have changed … but this transfer bonus makes the picture a bit better. 

Whether you want to get to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), or connect almost anywhere flying business class to Europe, Flying Blue charges as low as 60,000 each way. Availability has gotten much harder to find, but if you do, you’d need just 42,900 Rove miles to book it with this transfer bonus.

But it gets more complicated. Flying Blue's new, three-tier award chart – with dreadful new “Light” fares at that lowest, 60,000-mile price point – means you don't get lounge access at this lowest price point. Worst of all, these fares can't be changed or canceled, period. 

Want a “Standard” fare that gets those perks back? It'll be at least 75,000 miles each way. 

With this 40% transfer bonus, you could book that old standard fare for 53,600 miles. 

You can also book economy awards to Europe using Air France and KLM miles – including one-way trips from several U.S. cities for 25,000 miles or even less if you time it with a monthly Promo Rewards discount. 

Finding flights at these low rates may require some flexibility, as you won't find them on every single date. Luckily, Air France and KLM allow you to easily scroll through up to a month's worth of flights to find the best deals. After an increase earlier this year, Flying Blue now typically tacks on about $350 for a one-way business class award to Europe – and about $400 or more for the way back.

As steep as it sounds, that's a small price to pay for $6,000-plus flights … less so for economy, though.

Get Up to 35% More Qatar Airways Avios

Finally, you can get up to 35% more Qatar Airways Avios with this last transfer bonus. But it's a tiered offer, with the bonus increasing the more miles you transfer. 

Here's how it works:

• Transfers up to 49,999 Rove Miles get a 15% bonus
• Transfers of 50,000 – 99,999 Rove Miles get a 25% bonus
• Transfers of 100,000 Rove Miles or more get a 35% bonus

Depending on how many Rove miles you've racked up, that middle-tier (25%) bonus should make sense for a lot of people. Qatar Airways Privilege Club has become the absolute best way to book – what we consider the world's best business class, Qatar Qsuites – with points.

While it's still theoretically possible to book these seats for as few as 70,000 American AAdvantage miles, Qatar opens its own award availability a full 361 days in advance – well before releasing any space to partners. That extra month (or so) of availability can be the difference between booking a seat and searching the entire calendar without finding a single available date. 

Here's the easiest route: You could book a simple nonstop flight from many U.S. cities to Doha (DOH) for just 70,000 Avios and roughly $235 in taxes and fees. Once you find award availability, you'll only need to transfer 56,000 Rove miles to Qatar to book.

If you add a connection … say, to the Maldives (MLE) … you'll pay just 85,000 Avios and slightly higher taxes and fees. With a 25% transfer bonus, you'd need just 68,000 Rove miles to book this flight to paradise. 

But here's the real kicker: Some of these flights with connections throughout the Middle East book into first class on the shorter leg, even though they aren't priced any higher. That means you can access the excellent Al Safwa First Class lounge on your layover – and trust us, it's worth it. 

Bottom Line

Rove just rolled out a trio of transfer bonuses to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. With these offers, you can get up to 50% more miles, depending on which partner you choose.

Given the list of options here, there are some phenomenal ways to plan a bucket-list trip while stretching your Rove miles to the fullest.

Just be sure to take advantage of these offers before they end on Oct. 31!